Rex Grossman might not meet his goal of being on the practice field in two weeks in preparation for the Bears' Nov. 27 game at Tampa Bay, but the quarterback is on his way back from a broken left ankle and will be practicing next month.

His return has been a hot-button topic for talk shows and is sure to create more interest once he hits the field. General manager Jerry Angelo has said he wants Kyle Orton to be the starter the remainder of the season because that would mean the rookie is playing well.

"We have a plan in place, and that's to put Rex into the mix to make our quarterback position better,'' coach Lovie Smith said Wednesday when asked about Grossman's looming return. "Kyle is our starting quarterback, and from there, Rex will make the position better, no more than that right now. It's just good to see Rex out on the practice field getting better each day, jogging, throwing balls. He's in all of the meetings. That's making us a better team.''

When asked if having Grossman dressed for the Buccaneers game was his target, Smith joked that Nov. 26 was more like it.

"That's about the time we thought he would come back,'' Smith said. "But we're just going to see. I just know that he's been doing a great job with his rehab, and we'll see exactly where he is from there.''

Orton wasn't thrilled when asked if he had played well enough to keep the job when Grossman returns.

"We're 5-3 and in first place in the division,'' Orton said. "So I'm just going to wait and let Lovie make the decision.''